Holidays
by The Sarcastic Typo
Summary: Holidays sometimes help and sometimes hurt, but they're always different. NickHodges.
1. Christmas

**Title:** Holidays: Christmas  
**Summary:** Holidays sometimes help and sometimes hurt, but they're always different.  
**Pairing:** Nick/Hodges  
**Rating: **PG  
**A/N:** This is five parts long. Thanks for beta'ing, Kelly.

David Hodges had never believed in Santa Claus. His mom had always been too busy worrying about her boyfriend-of-the-month to pay any attention to him unless it was to complain or criticize. He was only twelve when he realized that Christmas would never be to him what it was to other kids.

On the whole, Christmas had always been rather disappointing. He half-heartedly celebrated it with Jacqui, Ronnie, Bobby, and Archie, only to return to a tree-less, decoration-less, lonely apartment.

He had not been expecting the cage with the small brown hamster in it in front of his door. There was a note next to it, so he gathered up the creature and the note and brought them inside. After staring at the hamster for five minutes, wondering if he had finally gone insane, he looked at the note:

_Hodges-_

_I always hate it when pets run away. Hope this little guy helps._

_-Nick_

Hodges nearly felt for his eyebrows because he was sure they had shot up so fast that they had flown off his face. Nick Stokes had gotten him a hamster? Why? Sure, he'd shared his unfortunate tale of woe with him and Sidle, and they'd been talking more lately and getting along rather well, but did that merit the purchasing of small rodents for one another? Hodges wasn't up to date on his etiquette, but he was pretty sure it did not.

Still, the hamster was cute – not that he'd admit that to anyone – and it's not like he could just leave it out in the cold. And if he named him, so what? George was a perfectly respectable name for a hamster.

However, there was a problem. He hadn't gotten Nick anything. Well, he could talk to the man the next day. Maybe he'd think of something by then.

X

For the first time in years, David Hodges had invited someone over for Christmas dinner. He hadn't _meant_ to, but he'd been thanking Nick for the hamster and had casually – and it _had_ been casual, no matter how his inner voice mocked him – asked what Nick was doing for the holidays. When he had said he wasn't doing anything it seemed like the perfect opportunity to pay him back for the gift.

However, it occurred to David that for the first time in years, he would have to decorate.

And decorate he did. He got a miniature tree, some indoor lights, and he even put up one of those singing snowmen. It was tasteful. Festive, but not overbearing. He decided it looked nice.

He also had to decide what to make. Ham sounded good, and he had been fortunate enough to find a small enough one, since it would only be the two of them and Hodges really didn't feel like eating ham leftovers for the next year of his life.

X

When Nick arrived, he was smiling but looked... nervous, and David thought that was slightly odd. Shaking his head, he let the man in – he'd brought wine because he hadn't been sure if he should bring anything or not, and he hoped that was okay? David accepted the wine and when Nick asked about the hamster, David told him he'd been named George, which seemed to amuse Nick quite a bit. After mumbling about CSIs and their weird senses of humor because George was a perfectly reasonable name for a hamster, the two sat down to eat.

The food was good, which Nick had commented on six, seven, maybe eight times? David had lost count. The small talk was surprisingly easy to make and the wine gave them both a lovely buzz.

And when Nick left at nine – he and David had been lucky enough to get Christmas night off, but they both had to work the next night – David felt that for once in his life, he had truly enjoyed Christmas.

TBC.


	2. Birthday

**Title:** Holidays: Birthday  
**Summary:** Holidays sometimes help and sometimes hurt, but they're always different.  
**Pairing:** Nick/Hodges  
**Rating: **PG

David Hodges had never thought that his birthday was something special. It was on the sixth of March and only six people beside himself knew this: his mother, Jacqui, Bobby, Ronnie, Archie, and apparently, Nick Stokes.

He hadn't been aware that Nick had known when his birthday was, but then he suspected that he'd mentioned it to him over one of their after-shift breakfasts. Ever since Christmas dinner and the hamster, they'd been friendlier – talking, going to breakfast, and generally enjoying each other's company. So when David got the invitation in the mail to head over to Nick's for a homemade birthday breakfast after their shift, he hadn't had much trouble in accepting.

X

Nick was quite the fantastic cook, as it turned out, and an even better host. They had pancakes made from scratch, eggs, and bacon, and this time David had brought the drink – orange juice.

"It's too early for wine," he'd said, and Nick chuckled as he agreed. David liked hearing that chuckle, if he admitted it to himself. He also really liked Nick's company.

The food was delicious and he returned the multiple compliments on its taste as Nick smiled and... well, it was probably David's imagination but it looked like Nick had blushed. What were they putting in orange juice, nowadays, anyway?

X

They say that birthday surprises are the best. Up until his thirty-ninth birthday, David would have disagreed. The only big surprises he'd ever gotten on his birthday had been disappointments – having to move, his mother getting another new boyfriend, or things of that nature.

However, on the morning of the thirty-ninth anniversary of his birth, as David Hodges sat in Nick Stokes' living room on Nick's Stokes couch being kissed passionately by Nick Stokes himself, he'd have to agree – birthday surprises were pretty damned cool after all.

It had only taken approximately four decades for his birthday to finally be special, but as Nick deepened the kiss and he found it increasingly more difficult to think or breathe, David vaguely thought that if this were the result, he hadn't minded waiting all that much.

TBC.


	3. Independence Day

**Title:** Holidays: Independence Day  
**Summary:** Holidays sometimes help and sometimes hurt, but they're always different.  
**Pairing:** Nick/Hodges  
**Rating: **PG

David Hodges' relationship with Nick Stokes was certainly an unconventional one, but that was to be expected, considering the people involved. On one hand, there was the slightly embittered, kind-of-an-ass lab tech who not many people liked or even tolerated, and on the other hand, there was the gorgeous, charming, wonderful CSI whom everyone loved and liked to be around. It was an odd match, to be sure, though somehow it worked.

Though David couldn't let go of wondering _why_, exactly, it worked. He could not, for the life of him, figure out the reason that Nick Stokes had chosen him, David Hodges, to give his love and devotion to. "Just because" was not a good enough reason for him and really, it didn't make any sense.

David's relentless curiosity on this subject sometimes instigated fights between them, because David's low self-esteem and surety that Nick would one day come to his senses and leave him sometimes got a bit too much for Nick to handle.

But today was Independence Day and David had vowed to not bring up the touchy subject. He was packing for the picnic they would be having that night as they watched the fireworks. David had secured the night off, but Nick was on call, leaving David fervently hoping that just this once the bad guys would have a slow night.

He wanted to make up the last week to Nick, where he had been particularly morose after some waitress had blatantly flirted with Nick and then had the gall to ask him out as they were in the middle of a date. Nick had awkwardly pointed out that he was _with_ someone and had no use for her or her overpriced perfume (or maybe he had politely said he was on a date and that part had been just David's wishful thinking). The woman had apologized, embarrassed, and fled. David thought with only a minimal bit of guilt that it served her right.

But it had also brought up the insecurities. Nick would always have beautiful people hitting on him. How long would it be before Nick tired of David and his average looks, and moved on?

David sighed and tried to push the thoughts from his mind.

X

Independence Day was supposed to be inspiring. David might not have known what people were talking about before, but he finally thought he had figured it out.

Here he and Nick were, on a blanket, out in the desert, watching fireworks. It was ridiculous and maudlin and romantic and David was not-so-secretly loving every minute of it.

When Nick pulled him closer, he smiled, trying not to sigh, doing his best to keep all his doubts at bay. But really, what hope did he possibly have of keeping such a wonderful creature interested in him for any real length of time?

Nick seemed to know what he was thinking because he tugged a bit harder so David was looking into lovely brown eyes that conveyed warmth, tenderness, and most of all, happiness.

And when they kissed under the fireworks like they were in some cheesy B-grade romantic comedy, David thought that he finally understood what Nick had been trying to tell him for months: he loved him, and the reason didn't matter one bit.

TBC.


	4. Thanksgiving

**Title:** Holidays: Thanksgiving  
**Summary:** Holidays sometimes help and sometimes hurt, but they're always different.  
**Pairing:** Nick/Hodges  
**Rating: **PG

Thanksgiving turned out to be a bittersweet holiday. Sure, David and Nick both had each other to be thankful for, as cheesy as that sounded, but Nick had decided to use the spirit of thankfulness to come out to his family.

To say that they hadn't been thrilled would be an understatement. Actually, David thought that it was so much of an understatement it almost doubled around and became and overstatement. His mother had actually cried. His father had shouted a lot. One of his sisters had cornered him about his immortal soul. Three of his sisters had refused to meet his eyes. Only two of his sisters – Kelly, David thought one was, and the other was Kate – hadn't cared.

That was why their Thanksgiving was just the two of them. They had been invited to dine with said sisters, but Nick had declined, saying he'd rather not have too much of a reminder about what had happened.

Nick was a family oriented guy, unlike David, and David could see that this was tearing the man up inside. It made him angry that Nick's family would hurt him like this. David had never been big on family since his had not exactly been ideal, but if it was so important to Nick, then it had some importance to him as well.

X

It was the day after Thanksgiving and David was making the turkey (they hadn't gotten Thanksgiving Day off work, unfortunately) when he got the call. Nick had been out getting a pie since neither David nor Nick had felt up to making one.

"Stokes and Hodges residence," David said automatically (they had moved in together in September) as he answered the phone.

There was silence on the other end and David sighed. "Hello? Look, if this is a prank call, I'll have you know that we both work in law enforcement and can have this call traced faster than you can say 'harassment'."

Finally, a voice spoke. "You must be David."

"Yes," he said. "May I ask who this is?"

"Gillian. Nick's mother."

Oh. It was _her_. "I see," David replied, neutrally, trying to keep the acid out of his voice, for Nick's sake. "Well, Nick isn't here right now, so I'll have to take a message."

"You're upset," Gillian said. David tried not to be irritated. _You would be upset, too, if you cared one whit about your son!_

"I'm fine," David replied, his voice as calm as he could make it and his patience wearing thin. He didn't know how much longer he could remain civil. "Now, do you have a message or-"

"No you're not. But you have a reason, of course. I'm a horrible mother. Did he tell you that?"

She sounded close to tears. David sighed. He didn't have the energy for this. "To be frank, Mrs. Stokes, however much I might agree with that sentiment, Nick has not, would not, and will never say that about you, because he, for some reason I don't comprehend, loves you and your entire family unconditionally. Why only two of you can afford him the same luxury, I don't know, but you're right. I _am _upset. I was the one who had to see first hand how miserable he was when he returned from visiting you and that is _not_ an experience I care to _ever_ repeat."

There was more silence on the other end, and David thought she'd hung up until he heard a quiet choked-back sob. "Tell him I'm sorry," she said.

David sighed again. "Despite my earlier offer to take a message, Mrs. Stokes, I'm afraid that is one you'll have to deliver yourself."

He heard Gillian sniffle. "Yes, I thought so." She paused. "Then, just... tell him happy Thanksgiving and that... I'll call again."

"I will."

"Goodbye."

David hung up the phone and stared at it before returning his attention to the turkey.

X

They had finished eating and David had decided that now was the time to mention the call.

"Your mother called," he said.

Nick looked up, a slight sadness clouding his eyes. David hated it. "Oh? What did she want?" he asked, his voice determinedly collected.

"To wish you a happy Thanksgiving. She said that she'd call again."

Nick locked his gaze for a long moment before he nodded, looking down again. David hoped that next Thanksgiving would be happier.

TBC.


	5. New Year's Eve

**Title:** Holidays: New Year's Eve  
**Summary:** Holidays sometimes help and sometimes hurt, but they're always different.  
**Pairing:** Nick/Hodges  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**A/N:** Well, hope you liked this. Feedback is appreciated.

David had never really cared much for New Year's Eve celebrations. It was all merely an excuse to get plastered and make resolutions that would be forgotten two weeks into the new year.

However, this time the holiday was different. It was pleasant sitting at home – _their_ home – with Nick, close together on the couch and waiting for the ball to drop on TV. The fact that Nick was slightly tipsy and rather horny also made for a much more enjoyable New Year's Eve than usual. Instead of moping around and being none-too-thrilled about the prospect of another year, David found himself pinned against his couch being kissed deeply by a handsome CSI whom he happened to be madly in love with. It reminded him of their first kiss, and his thoughts swam and swirled as hands searched and groped and the kiss grew more heated.

When they broke apart for air, they head the countdown begin – exactly ten seconds until the year 2007.

They kissed again, and although it was just as heated as previously, it also held a tenderness they both appreciated. As they made their way to the bedroom, they heard the cheers from the people on the TV, signaling that a new year had indeed begun. Nick fumbled with the remote, turning the TV off before he pinned David to the wall, continuing to kiss him. Somehow, though David wasn't precisely sure how, they eventually made it into the bedroom

X

Sometime later, when thinking was once again a priority, David mused that the holidays were much different with Nick around.

Different? No. That wasn't the right word. They were better.

He liked it that way.

-End


End file.
